The Board of Regents

Our Mission The South Dakota Board of Regents has constitutional authority to govern the system of public higher education in the State of South Dakota. Supported by an Executive Director and staff, the Board provides leadership and sets policies for the programs and services delivered through its six universities and two special schools.

In 2014, the South Dakota Board of Regents adopted a new five-year strategic plan. As a formal statement of the Board’s core goals, this document is intended to provide a blueprint for advancing the university system’s major priorities over the next five years. The plan identifies four key priority areas – student success, academic quality and performance, research and economic development, and affordability and accountability – and ties each to a firm set of aspirational goals, intended outcomes, and defined actions steps. Overall, the plan aims to establish a framework that will help to facilitate systematic, intentional, and goal-minded policymaking in the Regental system.